Improvements to road safety are part of the Government’s “Road to Zero” national road safety strategy where the vision is a New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes.
Dunedin City Council has responsibility for setting speed limits on local roads within the city. This does not include state highways which are the responsibility of Waka Kotahi.
Our speed management plan
To meet new regulations and align with the Waka Kotahi ‘Road To Zero’ national road safety strategy, we developed the Interim Speed Management Plan (ISMP). The ISMP sets speed limits around school zones to meet a regulatory interim target of 40% of schools in a reduced speed zone by 2024.
Public consultation ran from November to December 2022, and a Hearings Committee was held on Friday 17 March 2023 for members of the public to share their feedback in person. The changes were approved at Council on 27 March 2023 and the school zones and their limits have been set to 30km/h. Some schools will have a permanent 30km/h limit for their zones, and others will be variable, which means the 30km/h speed limit only applies during set times.
Update November 2023: New speed signs have now been installed across all school zones in Dunedin, indicating the beginning and end of new 30km/h speed limit zones. You can check out the map below to find the school zones that are 30km/h either permanently or only during set times.
DCC Transport staff are undergoing frequent checks of sign locations and ensuring vegetation is trimmed so signs are not obscured. To report an issue with a sign in your area, please contact our Customer Services Team on 03 477 4000 in the first instance. The need for additional signage in some areas will be reviewed after the full Speed Management Plan process has concluded.
Speed limits have changed around schools
School zones have been developed for each school that incorporate school entrances and surrounding streets. In our consultation, we asked submitters to give us feedback on whether school zones were wide enough. You can view the confirmed school zones for schools in the maps.
We also proposed that schools sit within a wider 30km/h permanent speed zone. For other schools we proposed variable school zones, where the speed limit will be reduced to 30km/h before and after school times. Some schools will have a combination of both permanent and variable speed limits, e.g. St Mary’s Dunedin and Andersons Bay School. Please see the tables for the schools and their speed limits.
School times are: 35 minutes before the start of school; 20 minutes at the end of school (beginning no earlier than 5 minutes before the end of school); 10 minutes at any other time when children cross the road or enter or leave vehicles at the roadside.
Schools with 30km/h variable speed limit
| Amana Christian School | Dunedin North Intermediate | Kaikorai Valley College | Otago Boys High School | St Bernadette’s School | Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Otepoti |
| Andersons Bay School (part) | East Taieri School | Kavanagh College | Otago Girls High School | St Brigid’s School | Silverstream Primary School |
| Arthur Street School | Elmgrove School | Kings High School | Outram School | St Francis Xavier School | Waikouaiti School |
| Balaclava School | Fairfield School | Liberton Christian School | Pine Hill School | St Josephs Cathedral School | Waitati School |
| Bathgate Park School | George Street Normal School | Mornington School | Portobello School | St Mary’s School (Dunedin) | Wakari School |
| Bayfield School | Grants Braes School | Musselburgh School | Pūrākaunui School | Tahuna Normal Intermediate School | |
| Brockville School | John McGlashan College | North East Valley Normal School | Queens High School | Taieri College | |
| Columba College | Kaikorai Primary School | Ōpoho School | Sacred Heart School | Tainui School |
Schools with a permanent 30km/h speed limit
| Abbotsford School | Carisbrook School | Karitāne School | Ravensbourne School | St Mary’s School (Mosgiel) |
| Andersons Bay School (part) | Concord School | Logan Park High School | Sawyers Bay School | Warrington School |
| Balmacewen Intermediate School | Dunedin Rudolf Steiner School | Māori Hill School | St Clair School | |
| Big Rock Primary School | Green Island School | Macandrew Bay School | St Hilda’s Collegiate School | |
| Bradford School | Halfway Bush School | OneSchool Global | St Leonards School | |
| Broad Bay School | John McGlashan College | Port Chalmers School | St Mary’s School (Dunedin) |
School zones maps
Maps as pdfs
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Dunedin ISMP 2023 Maps
- Schools with proposed 30kmh variable speed limit (PDF File, 8.5 MB | New window)
- Schools with proposed 30kmh permanent speed limit (PDF File, 6.1 MB | New window)
- Other speed limit proposal maps - Urban centres (PDF File, 1.5 MB | New window)
- Other speed limit proposal maps - City centre (George Street) (PDF File, 250.1 KB | New window)
- Other speed limit proposal maps - Karitāne and Pūrākaunui (PDF File, 538.2 KB | New window)
Resources for schools
We want to support schools and their communities in communicating the change in speed limit in their school zone. Check out the FAQs for answers to some common questions you may get, and feel free to download and use the graphics. These can be shared in the school newsletter, put up as posters around your school and in the community, or included in community newsletters. There are also some images sized for Facebook and Instagram. If you’re a school staff member wanting more support from our Road Safety and School Travel Planning team, please send us an email at transport@dcc.govt.nz and we’ll get in touch.
FAQs
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Why are speed limits changing?
The DCC is responsible for setting speed limits for local roads within the city. To meet new regulations and align with the Waka Kotahi ‘Road To Zero’ national road safety strategy, we developed the Interim Speed Management Plan (ISMP). The ISMP sets speed limits around school zones to meet a regulatory interim target of 40% of schools in a reduced speed zone by 2024.
Public consultation ran from November to 9 December 2022, and a Hearings Committee was held on Friday 17 March 2023 for members of the public to share their feedback in person. The changes were approved at Council on 27 March 2023 and the school zones and their limits have been set to 30km/h. Some schools will have a permanent 30km/h limit for their zones, and others will be variable, which means the 30km/h speed limit only applies during set times.
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What is the benefit of lowering the speed limits around schools?
The school gate can be a busy place during school drop off and pick up times, and we know that our rangatahi travel to school in lots of different ways; some bus and then walk, some cycle or scoot, and plenty get driven in cars. Having lots of vehicles and students heading to the same area can mean accidents happen, and we want to ensure that school zones are safer for everybody in the community. Lowering the speed limit means everybody has more time to react on the road and will reduce the risk of serious injuries in the event of accidents. It makes the streets safer for everybody.
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What does that mean for my school?
All schools in Dunedin will have speed limit changes to their area. You can find out if your local school is permanent or variable in the tables.
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What are the times set for variable schools?
The school times that mark the change of speed limit are set by Waka Kotahi NZTA to 35 minutes before the start of school, 20 minutes at the end of school, and 10 minutes at any other time when children cross the road or enter or leave vehicles at the roadside.
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When will the new speed limits come into effect?
Changes to speed limits around schools came into effect in November, 2023.